The President of the United States enjoyed his first hockey game tonight and didn't even stay to see the celebration that followed the home team's winning goal in overtime. President Clinton left after Washington's Esa Tikkanen accidentally tipped a puck past his own goaltender in the final minute of regulation, helping the Buffalo Sabres to tie the score at 2-2 and send the game into another period at the MCI Center.

But Vice President Gore and about 19,000 others remained to see Todd Krygier beat Sabres goalie Dominik Hasek at 3 minutes 1 second of the extra session to give the Capitals a much-disputed 3-2 victory that tied the Eastern Conference final series at 1-1. Games 3 and 4 of this four-of-seven-game series will be played in Buffalo on Thursday and Saturday.

Afterward, the Sabres voiced many complaints about the referee, Kerry Fraser. They said Fraser should have requested video review of a goal by Peter Bondra that tied the score at 1-1 with five seconds left in the second period and lifted the spirits of the home players and fans. Television replays seemed to indicate that Bondra's skate was in Hasek's blue-painted crease, a violation that is supposed to negate the goal.

Hasek and his coach, Lindy Ruff, also complained that Krygier's winning goal, assisted by Andrei Nikolishin, was set up on a play that should have been whistled dead because of icing by the Capitals. And Hasek complained about a collision with Bondra late in the third period that resulted in a power play for Washington after Hasek, the world's best goalie, threw his heavy glove at Bondra but missed him. He felt that Bondra had fouled him from behind.

''Peter is a good friend of mine,'' Hasek said of Bondra. ''I was more mad at the referee. He should see that. Blow the whistle.''

Fraser was not available for comment after the game, but the series supervisor of officials, John D'Amico, spoke to a pool reporter about both Bondra's goal and his collision with Hasek.

''At no time did we consider going to the replay,'' D'Amico said of the Bondra goal on a second-period power play. ''He was in perfect position to witness the goal, witness the situation before the goal. There wasn't contact and the player wasn't in the crease -- which is the reason why he did not go upstairs.''

As for the contact between Bondra and Hasek in the third period, D'Amico said: ''Bondra did not behave in any forceful manner to cause an injury or to cause anything. There's no doubt he made contact. But he didn't do it in any type of fashion viciously. In fact, he held him to a point. You can see him sliding into the endboards and actually helping him.''

Ruff also complained about the balance of penalties. The Sabres were 1 for 4 with seven minutes on the power play. The Capitals were 1 for 7, with 13:24 at extra strength.

''It's pretty tough to win a game when you kill four straight penalties,'' Ruff said. ''We spent 15 minutes killing penalties. That wore out a few of our guys. I'm not going to whine about the officiating.'' He also pointed out that his underdog team has home-ice advantage in what is now a five-game series, going back to Buffalo.

Ron Wilson, coach of the Capitals, was also quick to seek psychological advantage in a series that was tepid in Game 1 -- a 2-0 Buffalo victory -- and rather passionate tonight. Wilson said he inspired his players for the overtime by showing them a video of Buffalo's Matthew Barnaby celebrating the tying goal, with 57 seconds remaining in regulation. It was Barnaby, a high-spirited type, who shot the puck that Tikkanen accidentally tipped past goalie Olaf Kolzig.

''Going by our bench, taunting everybody,'' Wilson said of Barnaby. ''If that's the way Matt wants to play at this level, fine. He carries it too far.''

But several of Wilson's players, when asked about the Barnaby intermission video, said they had not seen it. Barnaby didn't seem to offended to be cited in this manner.

''That's O.K.,'' he said. ''What are you going to do? I was excited and I show my emotions. It's not going to take anything away from us.''

Vaclav Varada gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead at 19:02 of the first period at even strength. Bondra's goal in the second period was a tip-in of a shot by Phil Housley. Joe Juneau gave Washington a 2-1 lead at 14:06 of the third period at even strength. Then came the goals by Barnaby, on the power play, and Krygier, at even strength.

As for the President's visit, it was believed to be the first for any United States chief executive. Clinton sat in a private box, first alongside Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York and later next to Gary Bettman, commissioner of the National Hockey League. During the second intermission, the President shook hands with many fans and talked hockey with ESPN.

''It's much more exciting in person,'' he said. ''I grew up in the South, so I knew nothing about it until I started watching it on ESPN. I'm having the time of my life. I love this.''